The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-08-03
Why Some Lodges Are Flourishlng
and Others Dull.

Brother Corkran, l understand you
had good Lodge last night"
Eyes, we had; but that is nothing
unusual with us-we dl'oays have a good
Lodge"
"You do? We usually have a dull
one; and yet don't see any particular
reason for it. Why do you always have
a good one?
II don't know; it is natural for us to
do so. In the first place we have plenty
of work-and it is good work, on good
material"
"But how do you get plenty of work 7
You don't employ a drum and fife, do
your
"The only thing We employ is the in
terest of our members. We generally
have a large attendance of members.
Our Lodge is not like one | recently
visited, where the majority of brethren
present were visitors. If you get a good
proportion of your membership to
attend, you will have no lack of peti-
tiOns for initiation. Our trouble is not
to get petitions, but to find time to act
upon them. We frequently have 10
hold special meetings, we are so pressed
with work"
And you say your material is good
material, notwithstanding you have so
much of it. How do you account for
this ?'
every easily. Our material is like
our membership. We introduce candi-
dates like ourselves Like produces
like. The candidates are our associates.
our friends"
DO you attribute the success of your
Lodge to any other cause?'
81 don't know that | can say that the
existence of any one fact is the cause of
our success, but | do say that the prin-
ciple actuating all of our officers, and
the large majority of our members, is
that every one of them takes q pride in
the Lodge. They don't think of it only
on Lodge nights, but it is never out of
their minds. They enjoy these meet
ings, and every one does all he can to
make them pleasant. The officers are
strictly puuctual, and the Lodge opens
on time. At the opening there is a
goodly number of members present, and
very shortly afterwards the most of
them who come enter. They don't
come struggling along all the evening,
interfering with the business, delaying
the work and putting everybody out of
humor. We regard every brother who
is late as trespasser, and he is ex-
pected to have good reason for wasting
the time of a host of brethren, and in
terfering with the general welfare"
"You say you have good work-what
do you call good work?
I'VE don't differ, l think, about that.
By good work / mean accurate work.
clean work. impressive work. Our Wor-
shipful Masters are, without exception.
men, not machines. They speak as men
to men, and not as poll-parrots. They
mean what they say, and they show it
by their manner. Every brother in the
Lodge can distinctly hear every officer.
The most subordinate officer feels the
same pride in his own work that the
Master does in his, and the result is,
that when degree is conferred it is a
well-rounded performance, something
that pleases every member and visitor,
and impresses the candidate so firmly
that he is permanentlyinstructed, never
forgetting the lessons taught. Don't
you do the work in your Lodge that
way?"
Scarcely. Several of our officers are
always absent, and their places have to
be temporarily supplied. The result is,
all have not been accustomed to work
together. And the Master generally
speaks so low, and haltingly, and me
chanically, that the candidate does not
more than half understand him, much
less the more distant brethren. [ am
inclined to agree with you that good
officers make a good Lodge, and that
one great reason why ours is usually
dull is that our officers ale so careless
and uninteresting.
"Uninteresting is the word, and there
by hangs tale. Whenever a Worship
full Master don't know his work, or
reels it out like so much rope, as an
automaton, or fails to preside over his
Lodge with dignity, intelligence and
ease, the Lodge is uninteresting, ard
there will be a small attendance of
members. and few candidates for initia-
ton"